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EnergyAustralia has welcomed today’s announcement from the Commonwealth Government that it will support its two major battery storage projects in Victoria and South Australia, through the Capacity Investment Scheme, significantly boosting Australia’s clean energy transition.
The Commonwealth Minister for Climate Change and Energy the Hon Chris Bowen has this morning made the announcement which specifically includes EnergyAustralia’s 350MW/1400MWh Wooreen Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to be located in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria, and the 50MW/200MWh Hallett BESS to be located in Canowie, South Australia.
This will enable the delivery of a combined storage capacity of 400 megawatts (MW) and 1600MWh by 2027, powering more than 480,000 homes across Victoria and South Australia.
EnergyAustralia’s Managing Director, Mark Collette, said: “Both our Wooreen and Hallett battery storage projects will be critical in supporting Australia’s clean energy transition. Both batteries are to be located near power stations, Jeeralang (Victoria) and Hallett (South Australia), using land we own and existing transmission infrastructure to efficiently supply additional capacity to the market.
“These projects are part of EnergyAustralia’s investment in additional capacity prior to the closure of our Yallourn coal-fired power station in 2028.
“We are actively investing in a range of other flexible capacity initiatives to enable secure, affordable and reliable electricity for our customers. We have recently contracted for virtual storage with Akaysha Energy and we are progressing the development of the Mt Piper BESS, and the Lake Lyell Pumped Hydro Energy Storage project at Lithgow,” said Mr Collette.
Mr Collette said EnergyAustralia would be working closely with the local communities in the Latrobe Valley and Canowie areas as part of its continued commitment to support the communities it operates in.
“EnergyAustralia is pleased to extend our operations in these communities with additional Community Benefit Sharing commitments. From our ‘Light the Way’ Community Future Funds, TAFE and university scholarships, and First Nations partnerships, EnergyAustralia is ensuring that the communities that host this critical infrastructure are recognised.”
About the Wooreen BESS
The Wooreen BESS will be located on the site of EnergyAustralia’s Jeeralang Power Station, located at Hazelwood North in the Latrobe Valley.
The project comprises 350 megawatts (MW) of 4-hour capacity of energy storage, equivalent to 1,400 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity. This is sufficient to power over 400,000 households for up to four hours at a time at peak periods. EnergyAustralia anticipates this project will create jobs for 80 local workers and suppliers, with commercial operations targeting mid-2027 subject to approvals.
About the Hallett BESS
The Hallett BESS will be located near EnergyAustralia’s Hallet Power Station in Canowie, 210km north of Adelaide.
The Hallett BESS will have an initial storage capacity of 50MW and discharge capacity of up to 200MWh and be able to power up to 80,000 homes and small businesses for four hours. EnergyAustralia has development approval and an ambition to expand its capacity to 150 MW and 600 MWh after the successful completion of Stage 1.
EnergyAustralia is targeting late-2026 for commercial operations subject to approvals.
For media inquiries contact: Stuart Allott – stuart.allott@energyaustralia.com.au or Jacinta Smith – Jacinta.smith@energyaustralia.com.au